MEDICA VISION: Promoting Progress

Innovative approaches often fail because the realisation takes time and costs. To take down barriers there is the innovation contest for medical technology. At MEDICA VISION, promising winners were presented.20/11/2009

At MEDICA VISION, it's all about
future medical technology;
© Messe Düsseldorf

To transform ideas into medical products, the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research supports promising projects financially. "But it still can take up to 15 years until research results are put into practice", explains Dr. Günter Wrobel of the project partner DLR in Bonn in his introduction.

Already brought on the way is the project "Photoacoustic Mamma Scanner" which is a winner of the innovation contest in 2006. If the device will be realised one day it would mean a huge step forward for the diagnosis of breast cancer, supposes engineer Prof. Georg Schmitz of the Ruhr University Bochum who currently works on the project. The photoacoustic mamma scanner is supposed to show a physician whether a tumour is benign or malignant.

So far this is not possible, according to Schmitz. Even though tumours can be detected, the devices for diagnosis cannot say anything about the nature of the lump in the breast. Therefore, Schmitz uses a contrast agent in his research that only attaches to malignant tumours.

The developed mamma scanner that the scientist has in his mind will be equipped with a laser that flashes pulsatively into the tissue. The tissue, warmed up by the laser, expands and creates a sound wave. These sound waves are imaged coloured on a screen. As the contrast agent heats up much more than the tissue it creates a stronger sound wave. Areas inside the tissue where the contrast agent is concentrated are therefore clearly to identify on the screen. As the contrast agent also has the attribute to attach to malignant tumours, these coloured areas should be a strong indication for a malignant lump.

At the moment, these are still dreams of the future. Yet who knows - maybe one can admire the implemented device at MEDICA one day.

Who would like to get to know more innovative ideas should come around at MEDICA VISION, hall 3, stand 3 H 92!

Anke Barth
MEDICA.de